Jumping for reaching denied terrain

ABSTRACT

A surface vehicle capable of overcoming obstacles is disclosed in which the vehicle accelerates vertically while having a horizontal velocity. The vehicle has a frame and at least three wheels attached to the frame to which a horizontal propulsion system is coupled. Further, a vertical propulsion system is coupled to the frame and the wheels. The vertical propulsion system is capable of providing a force to such wheels normal to the surface so that the vehicle separates from the surface. The vehicle has an electronic control unit coupled to the vertical propulsion system to automatically control its operation. Further, sensors are used to evaluate the characteristics of the surface that pertain to supporting a vertical acceleration/deceleration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation-in-Part of publishedapplication U.S.2008/0314656-A1 filed Jun. 22, 2007, that is acontinuation-in-part of published application U.S.2007/0045012-A1 filedAug. 29, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a vehicle capable of overcomingobstacles such as fences, ledges, boulders, rivers, and ditches. Inparticular, the vehicle accelerates vertically while having a horizontalvelocity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A surface vehicle is a device that transports itself and a payload fromplace to place on the surface of the earth or other celestial body. Suchvehicles can lose their mobility when encountering obstacles: positiveobstacles which stick up from the average surface, such as logs,boulders, fences; negative obstacles such as holes, ledges, or ditches;and non-supportive surfaces such as rivers, ponds, or swamp muck. Theinventors of the present invention have recognized that it would bedesirable to have a surface vehicle which is not limited by suchobstacles.

Prior art vehicles, such as motorcycles, are capable of overcomingobstacles; however, they require a ramp to impart a vertical componentof velocity. This is impractical for free roaming vehicles for which itis desirable to overcome any obstacle encountered regardless of thepresence of a ramp.

A prior art vehicle capable of imparting a vertical acceleration to thevehicle is a low rider, in which hydraulic cylinders are energized tocause the vehicle to rise and fall. There are several disadvantages of alow rider vehicle for the purpose of traversing an obstacle. The lowrider does not provide sufficient acceleration to cause the vehicle toleave the ground an appreciable distance with a single actuation of thehydraulic cylinders. Instead, the cylinders are bounced at a resonantfrequency to cause the vehicle to attain a significant vertical heightwith multiple actuations of the hydraulic cylinders. Such operation doesnot allow a low rider vehicle to clear an obstacle. Additionally, thecontrol of the hydraulic cylinders is controlled remotely by a humanoperator. Moreover, the low rider is not adapted to provide significantvertical acceleration when the vehicle is translating on the ground.Instead, the highest vertical heights are achieved when the vehicle isnot translating. Yet another disadvantage for the low rider inovercoming a positive obstacle is that the wheels are actuated in adownward direction to cause the vehicle to accelerate upward. With thewheels at their lowest extent possible, they would be the limitingfactor for such a vehicle in clearing a positive obstacle.

Rockets and jet propulsion are used to generate vertical acceleration inknown devices. However, both require a large amount of energy to providethe acceleration. Although they might be used to clear one or a fewobstacles, they are impractical for clearing multiple obstacles that avehicle might encounter simply because the fuel needs are too great.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disadvantages of prior art surface vehicles are overcome by a surfacevehicle system having a frame, at least three members coupled to theframe, and a horizontal propulsion system coupled to the frame. Thehorizontal propulsion system provides motive force to at least one ofthe members to cause the vehicle to translate along the surface. Thevehicle further includes a vertical propulsion system coupled to theframe and the members, which is capable of providing a force to themembers generally normal to the surface to cause all members to lift offthe surface. The force is sufficient to generate a vertical vehiclevelocity to cause said members to separate from the surface. In oneembodiment such vertical velocity is at least 1.5 m/sec. The vehicleincludes an electronic control unit coupled to the vertical propulsionsystem to automatically control operation of the vertical propulsionsystem. In one embodiment, the members are wheels. In an alternativeembodiment, the members are tracks.

In one embodiment, the vertical propulsion system includes a hydrauliccylinder capable of developing a large, controlled vertical forcebetween the members in contact with the ground and the body of thevehicle for sufficient time to accelerate the vehicle in a substantiallyvertical direction to launch it free of the surface. The vertical forceis applied while the vehicle is at a controlled speed horizontally.Thereby, the vehicle can be propelled over an obstacle. The verticalforce is sufficient to cause the vehicle to attain more than 2 gs ofacceleration such that it lifts from the surface. The term ‘g’ refers tothe acceleration of gravity, which is 9.8 m/s² for earth. Thisgravitational constant is different for alternative celestial bodies.

An advantage of the present invention is that by causing the vehicle totranslate in a vertical direction with a velocity of at least 1.5 m/sec,the vehicle is caused to leave the surface.

By being separated from the surface for a period of time during whichthe vehicle moves a controlled distance horizontally, the vehiclereturns to the surface having traversed the obstacle. Since it does thiswithout recourse to aerodynamic lift, yet another advantage of thepresent invention is that the vehicle doesn't need large surfaces thatmake the vehicle wide, or rocket propulsion that is too energy intensiveto be practical for a vehicle without a long duration mission.

Yet another advantage of the present invention is in evasive maneuvers.Should there be a moving obstacle, such as another vehicle in thevicinity that is out of control, the vehicle of the present inventioncan provide a higher acceleration rate vertically than the less than 1 gacceleration rate that can be generated horizontally. Thereby, acollision with an errant vehicle or other moving mass can be avoided byjumping upward.

Another advantage of the present invention is that the vehicle can beaccelerated vertically in a single actuation without the need for aramp, as required by jumping cars or motorcycles, or an energy-intensiverocket propulsion device.

A method is also disclosed for operating a vehicle in which a verticalpropulsion device is actuated. The vertical propulsion device is coupledbetween a frame of the vehicle and members in contact with the ground.The actuation of the vertical propulsion device causes the members toapply a substantially normal force of sufficient magnitude to thesurface that the resulting acceleration of the vehicle is greater than 2gs. The entire vehicle lifts off the ground by a single actuation of thevertical propulsion device. The method further includes retracting thewheels toward the frame after the members are no longer in contact withthe ground, particularly in clearing a positive obstacle. Further, themembers are extended away from the frame after the vehicle has clearedthe positive obstacle and before the vehicle impacts the ground. In onealternative, the propulsion device is a hydraulic cylinder. A valve inthe hydraulic cylinder is adjusted to provide damping as the vehicleimpacts the surface.

In another alternative, the vertical propulsion device is an internalcombustion cylinder. Each member is equipped with a vertical propulsiondevice. In such an embodiment, the vehicle may have one conventionalinternal combustion engine to provide the motive force in the horizontaldirection and an internal combustion cylinder mounted on each member.These internal combustion cylinders mounted on each member are known andare used in nail guns and pile drivers, as examples. Conventionalinternal combustion engines are adapted to provide rotary output and theinternal combustion cylinder mounted on each member provides linearoutput.

In one embodiment, the members are wheels and the vehicle includes ahorizontal propulsion device, which applies a torque to rotate at leastone of the wheels to cause the vehicle to translate along the ground.

The method also includes detecting an obstacle over which the vehiclecannot travel if it remains substantially in contact with the ground. Inresponse to detecting the obstacle, a signal is provided to actuate thevertical propulsion device. The detection is inputted to and theactuating signal is provided by an onboard electronic controllerelectronically coupled to the vertical propulsion device. The horizontalpropulsion device is also electronically coupled to the electroniccontrol unit. The electronic controller commands the horizontalpropulsion system to actuate the horizontal propulsion device to attaina predetermined translational velocity prior to actuating the verticalpropulsion device so that the vehicle clears the obstacle. The obstacleis a positive obstacle, a negative obstacle, or a non-supportivesurface.

The method described in the present invention allows determination ofwhether the vehicle can clear the obstacle prior to actuating thevertical propulsion device, thereby mitigating a collision with theobstacle. If it is determined that the obstacle could be cleared if thevehicle had a higher translational velocity, the vehicle can approachthe obstacle for a second time after having attained that highervelocity. If it is determined that the obstacle cannot be cleared, thevehicle is commanded to find a more favorable location.

The method described in the present invention allows determination ofwhether the surface conditions are sufficiently stable to support theapplied downward force of the members to accelerate the vehiclevertically, and/or support the downward force of the members todecelerate the vehicle vertically on landing. In one alternative, thisis done by sensing the reaction of the vehicle and members to a knownpulse of the vertical propulsion system. In one alternative, surfaceconditions are estimated by monitoring changes in the surfacecharacteristics due to contact with the members as the vehicle traversesthe surface. In one alternative, surface conditions are directlymeasured using a probing device, such as a Penetrometer. In onealternative, surface conditions are estimated by inspecting the surfaceusing a passive Electro-Optical sensor, such as a camera. In onealternative, surface conditions are estimated by inspecting the surfaceusing an active sensor, such as a RADAR, or LIDAR unit which emitsenergy and measures the portion returned to the sensor.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the accompanying drawings, and from the detailed description thatfollows below

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described further by way of example only andwith reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation schematic of a jumping vehicle according to anaspect of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan schematic of a jumping vehicle according to an aspectof the present invention in which an example of a horizontal propulsionsystem is shown;

FIG. 3 is a plan schematic of a jumping vehicle according to an aspectof the present invention in which an example of a vertical propulsionsystem operated hydraulically is shown;

FIGS. 4A-I illustrate of a jump sequence for a jumping vehicle inovercoming a positive obstacle;

FIG. 5 is a schematic of a hydraulic system according to an aspect ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic of a jumping vehicle according to an aspect of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic of a plan view of the vehicle showing wheel baseand track width;

FIG. 8 is a graph of experimental acceleration and height data from aprototype jumping vehicle according to an embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic of a jumping vehicle showing sensors used tomeasure characteristics of the surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A vehicle according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,FIG. 1 being an elevation view and FIG. 2 being a plan view. The vehiclehas a frame 10 to which three or more members are connected. In thepresent example, there are 4 members and the members are wheels 20. Thefront wheels are connected to the frame by A-arms: the left front wheelvia A-arm 40 and the right front wheel via A-arm 42 (shown in FIG. 2only). The left hand front wheel is slightly forward of the right handleft wheel to accommodate A-arms 42 being in a plane without contactingeach other. Also, A-arm 42 connected to the right hand wheel anglestoward the rear of the vehicle and A-arm 42 connected to the left handwheel angles toward the front of the vehicle. The rear wheels aremounted on a solid axle 48 connected to frame 10 by radius arms 24 andlateral control link 22. Steering of the front wheels is accomplished bylinear actuators 50 mounted to A-arms 40, 42 and connected to steeringknuckles 13. Steering knuckles 13 are attached to the front knuckles onwhich wheel spindles are mounted. The vehicle is propelled horizontally,i.e., along the surface, by an engine 30, which in one embodiment is aninternal combustion engine, gasoline or diesel. Engine 30 is coupled toa motor generator 35 via a dog clutch 32. The shaft from motor generator35 is connected to a transmission 34 through a clutch 32. Transmission34 is connected to driveshaft 18 which connects to the differential 46in rear axle 48 which drives the rear wheels 20. The drivetrain shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 is a hybrid configuration. In a non-hybrid embodiment,engine 30 connects to transmission 34 through clutch 32. Bothembodiments of the vehicle use a battery 24. A higher capacity batteryis used for the hybrid application. A battery for a non-hybrid versionis sized to start engine 30 and to supply any onboard accessories.

The horizontal propulsion system may be a steam engine, a Stirling cycleengine, a gas turbine engine, a reciprocating internal combustionengine, such as a gasoline engine (often referred to as Otto cycle), adiesel engine, and variants including: 2-stroke, 4-stroke, homogeneouscharge compression ignition, or any other known method of storing orproducing energy.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an embodiment of a hydraulic verticalpropulsion system is shown. The hydraulic vertical propulsion system isalso included in the vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, for thesake of simplicity, the mechanical and hydraulic systems are highlightedseparately in the two views. The hydraulic system includes a hydraulicfluid reservoir 64 which supplies hydraulic fluid to hydraulic pump 66.Hydraulic pump 66 is driven off engine 30. In another embodiment, anelectric motor is used to drive pump 66. High pressure hydraulic fluidis supplied to accumulators, front 60 and rear 62. In an alternateembodiment, a single accumulator could be used. The front accumulator 60is connected to the front hydraulic control valve 68; similarly,accumulator 62 is connected to rear hydraulic control valve 70. Thehydraulic control valves supply hydraulic fluid to the verticalpropulsion cylinders 38 or hydraulic struts. The lines between thehydraulic control valves and the vertical propulsion cylinders 38connect to both ends of the vertical propulsion cylinders 38: supplyingfluid to one end of vertical propulsion cylinder 38 causes wheels 20 toextend from frame 10 and supplying fluid to the other end of verticalpropulsion cylinder 38 causes wheels 20 to retract toward frame 10.Hydraulic fluid return lines connect from vertical propulsion cylinders38 to reservoir 64.

If the terrain over which vehicle 8 is traveling is uneven, it isdesirable to have independent control of each wheel. As shown in FIG. 3,front wheels 20 have control valve 68 and rear wheels have control valve70, which can be independently controlled. In an alternate embodiment,vehicle 8 is equipped with a control valve for each wheel.

To aid in understanding the invention, some design target data areprovided. With a vehicle mass of 600 lbm, each of 4 corners carries 150lbm. Due to a lever ratio of 3:1, the force required at each hydrauliccylinder is 450 lbf at one g. To accelerate at 4 gs, the force requiredis 1800 lbf. The pressure in the hydraulic cylinder, when the cylinderhas a diameter of 1″ or a cross-sectional area of 0.785 sq. in., isapproximately 2300 psi.

The height that the vehicle achieves is velocity squared divided by(2*g). If the vehicle achieves a vertical velocity of 1.5 m/sec, thevehicle would achieve a height of about 0.1 m. At a vertical velocity of3 m/3, it achieves about 0.4 m.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A-I, the phases of a jump over a positiveobstacle are shown. Vehicle 8 is traveling normally in phase A, in whichthe suspension is not fully retracted to allow for ground clearance ofthe vehicle. Vehicle 8 translates along the surface at a forwardvelocity of 20 kilometers per hour (kph). In preparation for a jump,wheels 20 are retracted to cause vehicle 8 to hunker down toward ground6, as shown in phase B (FIG. 4B). The vertical propulsion system isactuated causing wheels 20 to exert a downward force toward ground 6forcing wheels 20 to separate from frame 10. In reaction, vehicle 8, isaccelerated vertically, and rises, shown as phase C (FIG. 4C). Whilewheels 20 are in contact with surface 6, as shown in phase C, theycontinue to exert a downward force. When vehicle 8 reaches the limit ofthe suspension travel, wheels 20 lift off the ground as they are carriedup with vehicle 8. Phase D shows a time after wheels 20 have come offground 6 and remain extended. To clear obstacle 4, wheels 20 areretracted toward vehicle 8, as shown in phase E. After clearing obstacle4, wheels 20 can be extended from vehicle 8 to prepare for touchdown, asshown in phase F. In phase G (FIG. 4G), wheels 20 of vehicle 8 havecontacted ground 6. In phase H, the suspension has compressed to cushionthe landing with ground 6. In phase I, the suspension is extended toachieve its standard ground clearance.

In the event that the obstacle being traversed is a negative obstacle,such as a chasm, or a neutral obstacle such as a ravine, vehicle 8proceeds as shown in FIGS. 4A-I, except that in phase E, there is noneed to retract the wheels. It is better not to retract the wheels tosave the energy that would otherwise be expended in retracting and thenlater lowering the wheels in phase F (FIG. 4F). In this case, thevehicle reaches the apogee of the jump in phase E; however, the relativeposition of vehicle 8 and the wheels remains nearly constant throughphase D through F.

In FIG. 6, vehicle 8 is moving in the direction of obstacle 4. Vehicle 8is equipped with electronic control unit 62, which is in communicationwith image capture unit 62 and sensors 74. Images from unit 62 can beanalyzed to determine that vehicle 8 is approaching an obstacle. Sensors74 can include various sensors which can be used to infer the conditionof surface 6. Sensors 74 can act from a distance by measuring radiativeproperties of the surface, surface irregularities, as a couple ofexamples. Sensors 74 can have an extendable arm (not shown) which can beused to impact surface 6 to determine its ability to support members 20in making a jump. In one embodiment, sensors 74 collect a small amountof soil from surface 6 and make an onboard determination of theproperties of surface 6.

In FIG. 7, the wheel base and track width are shown in a plan view ofvehicle 8.

Although not shown in the figures, electronic control unit 62, oranother electronic control unit similar to unit 62 is electronicallycoupled to both the vertical and horizontal propulsion systems toactuate hydraulic cylinders 38, control arms 40 and 42, and engine 30.Electronic control unit obtains information from engine 30, sensors 74(providing, for example but not limited to, ambient condition signals,fuel signals, vehicle payload signals, vehicle condition signals such asrelative position of frame 10 with respect to wheels 20) sensorsassociated with the vertical propulsion system, sensors associated withthe steering mechanism, etc. From these signals, engine 30 controls thevertical propulsion system, the horizontal propulsion system, and thesteering mechanism of vehicle 8 to allow it to traverse terrain whichwould otherwise be unattainable for vehicle 8.

Referring now to FIG. 5, the hydraulic system is shown in schematic formwith the control in the position for normal horizontal translation,i.e., no vertical acceleration, in which the hydraulic cylinders act asshock absorbers. In FIG. 1, the control valve is shown as an integratedsingle unit. In FIG. 5, the control valve detail is shown. Control valve68 includes pressure regulations 68 n and 68 q. It also has a 2-positioncontrol valve 68 p and a 3-position control valve 68 r. In oneembodiment, control valve 68 also includes check valve 68 t and variablerestrictor 68 s. Alternatively, 68 t and 68 s are not included. Theunpressurized hydraulic fluid resides in reservoir 64. Pump 66 drawsfrom reservoir 64 and pressurizes the fluid against the pressure inaccumulator 60. In FIG. 5, pump 8 is driven by electric motor 65.However, this is not intended to be limiting; pump 8 could be driven byengine 30 or any other known power source. Two hydraulic cylinders 38are shown in FIG. 5 by way of example attached to the front and leftfront wheels.

Two-position valve 68 p has 3 ports, labeled P, A, and T in FIG. 5. Whenvalve 68 p is in position a, port P communicates with port A. When valve68 p is in position b, port A communicates with port T.

Three-position valve 68 r has 4 ports, labeled P, T, A, and B in FIG. 5.When valve 68 p is in position a, port P communicates with port A andport T communicates with port B. When valve 68 p is in position b, portP is deadended, and ports A, B, and T are in communication. When valve68 p is in position c, port P communicates with port B and port Tcommunicates with port A.

Starting in FIG. 5, because hydraulic cylinders 38 are acting as shockabsorbers, valve 68 p is in a straight through position (denoted asposition a) connecting accumulator 60 with the P port on valve 68 r.Valve 68 r is in position b so that the P port is deadended, whichprevents high pressure fluid from reaching hydraulic cylinders 38. Theconnection between ports A, B, and T of valve 68 r allow hydrauliccylinders 38 to act as shock absorbers allowing the vehicle suspensionto operate on the springs.

When a jump command is received, valve 68 r is commanded to position cto send high pressure fluid to the lower end of hydraulic cylinders 38to retract the wheels thereby causing the vehicle to be lowered to theground in preparation for a jump. Note that valve 68 p does not changeposition.

Next in the jump sequence, valve 68 r is commanded to position a to sendhigh pressure fluid to the upper end of hydraulic cylinders 38 and fluidfrom the low end of hydraulic cylinders 38 is vented and allowed toreturn back to reservoir 64. High pressure fluid acts on the pistonswithin hydraulic cylinders 38 to cause them to extend. This causes thevehicle to accelerate upward and moves vertically with respect to thewheels. When the limit of suspension travel is reached, the inertia ofthe sprung mass pulls the wheels free of the surface.

When the vehicle and wheels are airborne, the vehicle is prepared forlanding by shifting valve 68 p to position b while valve 68 r remains inposition a. As soon as the wheels start to contact the ground, the forceon the tires increases which increases the force on hydraulic cylinders38. The fluid from the top of hydraulic cylinder 38 discharges backthrough pressure regulator 68 q to control the force during landing toavoid damage to the suspension by absorbing the energy before using allthe suspension travel.

After the landing, valve 68 r returns to the b position so that thesuspension operates normally on the springs. Shortly after valve 68 r isreturned to position b, valve 68 p is returned to position a.

In FIG. 1, it is shown that there is an accumulator 60 at the front ofthe vehicle and an accumulator 62 at the rear of the vehicle. Also,there is shown a hydraulic control valve 68 at the front of the vehicleand hydraulic control valve 70 at the rear of the vehicle. A similarsystem, as shown in FIG. 5 can be envisioned for the rear of thevehicle. The various hydraulic components can be integrated inalternative manners without departing from the scope of the invention.For example, two hydraulic pumps could be used to drive eachaccumulator. Or in another alternative, a single accumulator couldsupply all of the hydraulic cylinders.

In FIG. 8, experimental data from one of the first jumps of a prototypevehicle are shown. An accelerometer attached to the vehicle shows amaximum vertical acceleration of about 4 gs was obtained at about 3.5seconds into the jump sequence. The 4 gs was maintained for about 0.5seconds. When the vehicle jump was actuated, it was standing next to avertical height measuring stick to allow the height that the vehicleattained to be determined from high speed videotapes. At time t=2 sec,the vehicle is at normal height for translation. Prior to jumping, thevehicle is caused to kneel. The height of the vehicle drops by about 10inches to attain a height of the vehicle's center of gravity of about 15inches. The vehicle attains a center of gravity height of about 45inches at time t=3.7 sec, which is a jump of about 30 inches withrespect to the vehicle in the kneeling position and is a jump of about20 inches with respect to the vehicle in its normal operating mode.

The height data in FIG. 8 were collected from a sequence of videoframes. The resolution is determined by the framing rate of the camerawhich is 30 frames/second. Crudely, by taking a derivative of heightwith respect to time, the vertical velocity averaged over the ascent isabout 7.5 ft/sec.

It should be noted that the vehicle has not been optimized in terms ofcontrolling timing of control valves 68 r and 68 p and many otheraspects of the hydraulic control system. Furthermore, the prototypevehicle is heavier than its target weight. The data presented herein arepreliminary and are not intended to indicate a maximum capability of thepresent invention.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the sensors used to characterize the surfaceare shown in schematic form. Sensor 80 is used to estimatecharacteristics of the surface to base a determination of whether thesurface can support additional force exerted by members 20 when thevehicle begins or ends a vertical translation on the inspected surface.Sensor 82 is used estimate characteristics of the local surface incontact with member 20 to estimate characteristics of the surface basedon the interaction of the surface and member 20 during various actionsof the vehicle. Sensor 84 is a probe, such as a penatrometer, thatdirectly samples the relevant surface characteristics through contactwith the surface.

Sensor 86 is used to estimate changes to the surface characteristicscaused by contact of member 20, based on remote sensing of the surface,after the vehicle has traversed the surface. One example would be tomeasure how deeply the tires penetrated into the surface by measuringthe depth of the depressions left behind.

While the present invention has been described, those skilled in the artwill appreciate various changes in form and detail may be made withoutdeparting from the intended scope of the present invention as defined inthe appended claims.

1. A surface vehicle system, comprising: a frame; at least three members coupled to said frame; a horizontal propulsion system coupled to said frame and at least one of said members, said horizontal propulsion system adapted to provide motive force between said member and the surface to cause the vehicle to translate along the surface; a hydraulic cylinder coupled to said frame and said members, said hydraulic cylinder adapted to provide a force to said members generally normal to the surface, said force being sufficient to generate a vertical vehicle velocity to cause said members to separate from the surface; and an electronic control unit electronically coupled to said hydraulic cylinder adapted to automatically control operation of said hydraulic cylinder.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said members are wheels.
 3. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a steering mechanism coupled to at least one of said members.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein said vertical velocity is achieved by actuating said hydraulic cylinder exactly once.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said vertical velocity has an associated vertical acceleration that is greater than 2 gs.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein a vertical travel of said member with respect to the frame exceeds 0.2 of a characteristic dimension of the vehicle and said characteristic dimension is an average of a track width and a wheelbase of the vehicle.
 7. The surface vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising: two additional hydraulic cylinders with one hydraulic cylinder acting on each one of the three members coupled to the frame.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein said horizontal propulsion system comprises an energy source, including at least one of, an internal combustion engine, a solar panel, a fuel cell, or a battery, the system further comprising: a hydraulic pump coupled to said hydraulic cylinder and to said energy source; and a hydraulic fluid accumulator coupled to said hydraulic pump.
 9. The system of claim 8, further comprising: a valve coupled to said hydraulic cylinder and electronically coupled to said electronic control unit, whereby opening position of said valve is adjusted to control damping of the vehicle upon impact with the surface.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising: a sensor coupled to said surface vehicle system, wherein said sensor provides a signal related to a characteristic of the surface to serve as a basis of a determination of whether the surface can support additional force exerted by the members during vertical translation and said sensors operates by one of direct sampling of relevant characteristics of a surface proximate the vehicle and remote sensing of a surface over which the vehicle has recently traveled.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of: a passive Electro-Optical (EO) sensor, such as a camera, and an active sensor which emits energy onto the surface and receives the reflected energy, such as a RADAR or Laser Ranging Unit (LIDAR).
 12. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one sensor coupled to said surface vehicle system to estimate characteristics of a portion of surface proximate said surface vehicle and in an area said members of the surface vehicle have not traveled, wherein the sensor provides a signal related to a characteristic of the surface to base a determination of whether the surface can support additional force exerted by the members to allow the vehicle to translate vertically.
 13. The system of claim 12 wherein the sensor comprises at least one of: a passive Electro-Optical (EO) sensor, a camera, an active sensor which emits energy onto the surface and receives the reflected energy, such as a RADAR, and a Laser Ranging Unit (LIDAR).
 14. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one sensor coupled to the surface vehicle and electronically coupled to the electronic control unit wherein control of the vertical propulsion system is based at least on signal outputs from the sensors.
 15. The system of claim 7 wherein: said hydraulic cylinder is configured to allow different forces to be applied to each member in contact with the ground, the system further comprising: at least one sensor coupled to the surface vehicle system and electronically coupled to the electronic control unit, with a signal for said sensor providing an indication of the attitude of the vehicle with respect to one of a surface normal or a gravity acceleration vector.
 16. A surface vehicle system, comprising: a frame; a first member; a second member; a third member; a first hydraulic cylinder coupled between the first member and the frame; a second hydraulic cylinder coupled between the second member and the frame; and a third hydraulic cylinder coupled between the third member and the frame; a horizontal propulsion system coupled to said frame and at least one of the first, second and third members, said horizontal propulsion system adapted to provide motive force between said member and the surface to cause the vehicle to translate along the surface wherein the first, second, and third hydraulic cylinder adapted to provide a force to the first, second, and third members, respectively, to cause for the first, second, and third members to separate from the ground.
 17. A vehicle, comprising: a frame; at least three members coupled to the frame; an internal combustion cylinder coupled to the frame and the members, the internal combustion cylinder adapted to provide a force to the members generally normal to the surface, the force being sufficient to generate a vertical vehicle velocity to cause the at least three members to separate from the surface simultaneously; and an electronic control unit electronically coupled to the internal combustion cylinder adapted to automatically control operation of said internal combustion cylinder.
 18. The vehicle of claim 17, further comprising: at least one sensor coupled to the vehicle and electronically coupled to the electronic control unit, the electronic control unit basing activation of the internal combustion cylinder on a signal from at least one sensor.
 19. The vehicle of claim 18 wherein the electronic control unit estimates at least one characteristic of a surface proximate the vehicle.
 20. The surface vehicle system of claim 16, further comprising: an electronic control unit (ECU) electronically coupled to the first, second, and third cylinders; and a sensor mechanically coupled to the vehicle and electronically coupled to the ECU wherein the sensor provides a signal from which a characteristic of the ground proximate the surface vehicle is located can be determined and the ECU commands the first, second, and third cylinders to cause the first, second, and third members to separate from the ground based on the determined characteristic of the ground. 